Many industries have high perceived diversity, but the numbers tell a different story

Author

Published

Share it

Dive Brief:

In a new survey, Owler, a self-described community-based competitive insights platform, identified companies and industries with the highest perceived diversity rankings in the country. The San Mateo-based company polled 17,000 employees and other stakeholders.

The companies ranked highest on the list for diversity leadership were Mary Kay, Snap-on, MillerCoors and New York Life. But all these companies have white males in leadership roles, says TechRepublic, citing the findings.

Retail led the industry rankings, followed by transportation and pharmaceuticals — though diversity within those areas has also been questioned, too.

Dive Insight:

Companies that call themselves diverse — or that are perceived to be diverse — can't effectively stake that claim until they have women, people of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQ workers, older workers and other under-represented groups on every level.

The key word here is "perceived." Many organizations, such as in retail, will have high levels of diversity at the entry-level but few minorities in the C-suite or at the helm.

Unconscious bias is pernicious. Employers that want to overcome its power must rework some of their hiring processes, including language in job ads, and thoroughly educate middle managers to ensure they aren't driving people out.